1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a multifunctional printer that retains an unrecorded scanned image for a predetermined time period when recording paper runs out during a copying operation.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional multifunctional printer scans a document, stores the scanned image in a memory, and copies the image on recording paper. Even if recording paper runs out during the copying process, the scanned image is retrieved from the memory and recorded when more recording paper is loaded, without re-scanning the document. Thus, when recording paper runs out and even if a user is away from the multifunctional printer, the scanned image is still stored in the memory. Therefore, it is possible to retain the image until it can be printed, even if it takes a long time to load the recording paper.
However, the conventional technology had the following problems.
In particular, a multifunctional printer not only operates as a copier but as a printer, therefore, there are situations in which a separate second operation is requested while a first operation is being performed. Thus, when paper runs out during a copying operation, and the image for the copying operation is kept stored in a memory, the memory cannot be released to be utilized for the printing operation. In this case, plurality of operations cannot be performed even though a multifunctional printer is used, thus resulting in an adverse effect of lowering the efficiency of processing the operations.
Also, when paper runs out during the copying process, the printer can erase the image in the memory in order to release the memory to other operations such as a printing operation and to enable the other operation to proceed. However, in such a case, user has to re-scan the entire document even though the copying process is partly done, merely because the paper has run out, thus requiring duplication of the procedures of re-scanning the document and overly increasing and complicating the user's workload.